Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that despite U.S. and international commitments to disarm Hamas and destroy its tunnel network, 'we all understand that this won't happen,' and that the IDF is prepared, given the directive, to 'eliminate Hamas and finish the job,' according to a statement reported by The Zioneer.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday publicly cast doubt on the diplomatic track to disarm Hamas in Gaza, saying the U.S.-led commitments to dismantle the terror group's arsenal and tunnel network would not materialize in practice.
In remarks reported by The Zioneer, Katz stated that the IDF is prepared, should the political leadership decide to pursue that course, to launch a campaign to "eliminate Hamas and finish the job." The language signals readiness for renewed large-scale operations rather than reliance on a ceasefire-for-disarmament framework that Katz assessed as failing.
Katz directly referenced Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff — the Trump administration's special envoys overseeing the Gaza diplomatic track — introducing his statement as one "Kushner, Witkoff & Co. won't like." The pointed framing underscores a growing gap between Israeli security assessments and the U.S.-brokered deal's assumptions.
The statement follows a pattern in which Katz has repeatedly insisted that Israel will not rely solely on diplomatic assurances regarding Hamas. As The Zioneer has reported in recent months, Katz has maintained that the IDF would keep the military option open in Gaza even amid negotiations, and has rejected calls for withdrawal from security buffer zones adjacent to the Strip.
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